Before the girls were allowed to break up for the night after the team dinner in Costa Rica on Thursday, they were read an email to them from the States that had just arrived. It began:"Ladies, I am not the type to go out of my way unless something totally compels me to do so. Today, it did ...You can imagine how amazing I think what you all did after the Haiti game was and how much it means to me, and to this country."
The email's author was one of the girls' idols, decorated U.S. women's national team star Abby Wambach. The girls made up the U.S. under-17 soccer team that was kicking off play in the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) championship tournament in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
But what Wambach came to admire so much about her admirers was that those admirers were mere girls no more. They were, instead, all grown, teaching life lessons of their own. This was their first.
Because it happened on a field of play it was called sportsmanship. But that it happened under the circumstances it did, we should all recognize it as that transcendent human quality called compassion.
The U.S. team was playing Haiti, after all, a team of girls from an unlucky country that two months ago was dealt another unlucky hand, an earthquake that killed more than 200,000. All of them arrived in Costa Rica homeless. One goalkeeper, Madeline Delice, came newly orphaned. The Haitian Federation's soccer headquarters in the center of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince collapsed and 32 people inside were killed.
Share "I was really amazed that they would play," U.S. goalie Bree Heaberlin told me Saturday by phone of her thoughts just a few weeks ago upon learning that her team's first opponents would be from that devastated Caribbean country.
Bree said she and her teammates started strategizing almost immediately about how to handle the Haitian girls. They weren't thinking of what kind of offense to run or how to shutdown Haiti's leading scorer. They were thinking about what they could do as a team to help the Haitian girls ease what must have been, Bree and her teammates thought, an unimaginable pain.
"A lot of my teammates talked about doing a fundraiser or something to help them," Bree said.
U.S. Soccer caught wind of the girls' concerns and stepped in to help them. They decided to collect as much soccer gear and clothing and toiletries and whatever else they could pack up and carry to Costa Rica as gifts to their Haitian counterparts as they could.
"I got my high school team and my club team to donate toothpaste and toothbrushes and goalie gloves and cleats," said Bree, a St. Petersburg, Fla., native.
They divided up the gifts into individual backpacks for each of the girls on the Haitian team and took off for Costa Rica.
It wasn't much of a contest, of course. The U.S. team was rested and prepared. The Haitian team was drained and, obviously, distracted.
The U.S. went up 1-0 after 92 seconds. It was 2-0 at the 13th minute and 4-0 at the half. The last goal came in stoppage time and made the final tally 9-0.
"It definitely wasn't a good feeling," Bree recounted as the final whistle sounded. "Nobody was thinking about the game."
And now no one who saw it end will ever forget it.
"When the [final] whistle blew," Bree recalled, "I walked to midfield with my teammates to shake hands with the Haitian team, and as I did I looked downfield and saw their goalie was laying on the ground, crying."
The emotion of everything toppled Alexandra Coby.
Coby's coach was the first to reach her side. Bree was the second. Bree's teammates were in tow.
"We started walking to her. Her coach helped her up," Bree said, "and I opened my arms and hugged her.
"She was crying and I started crying," Bree said. "And all my teammates began crying.
"Nobody spoke any French," Bree said of Haiti's native language. "We communicated with a nod and a smile."
Bree said it didn't last more than a minute and a half. But there is no doubt they all will carry the moment for the rest of their lives.
Wambach's email continued:
"It is rare to have moments like that show up, but even more rare to actually do the right thing when they arise. It takes people who think outside of themselves to do what you all did. I believe it truly shows one's character. And to do it in the way you did was simply one of the most gracious things I've seen in a long time."
U.S. Soccer snapped a photo of their victorious team in the locker room after its 9-0 win over Haiti. The young women looked as if they'd lost.
Bree said they saw the Haitian team again on Friday. Bree and her teammates were leaving the pitch after beating the Cayman Islands and the Haitian team was waiting to come on to play Costa Rica. They all hugged again.
Wambach's email concluded:
"Honestly, today I feel very proud to be an American. It gives me something to strive towards. It gives me strength in knowing that what I do every day will be taken over by good people that respect this life and game.
"The example that you all showed is exactly the kind of thing that makes this game so special. We have the ability to do so much. Keep up the good work, and keep making us proud. You all are an inspiration."
Haiti lost 2-0 on Friday to Costa Rica and was eliminated from the championship. The U.S. women remained undefeated and are two wins from making the finals, which will guarantee them a spot in their world cup this summer in Trinidad and Tobago.
But before all the young women's teams depart Costa Rica this week, the U.S. team will see the Haitians at least once more. It will be when it delivers its gifts of goodwill, exercising the life-affirming act of humanity once more.
Comments (Page 1 of 16)
This shows that winning really isn't everything.There truely are more important things in life.Congrats to these women for showing true class and sportsmanship.GOD Bless You.
...didn't stop our girls from running up the score, though, did it?
9-0..? Another USA, in your face, beatdown....way to go.
They did the right thing but I don't know if I would have pummeled them so bad. They never had a chance. The coach should have told our girls to allow them to score once or twice. And maybe slow down once they (the U.S.) has a 2 or 3 point lead. A “win is a win” and they obviously could have taken this team if they came close. There was no need to destroy them with a 9-0 when a 1 or 2 point win would have accomplished the same thing. Maybe that’s teasing? Or dangling a carrot? Or mean? I’m not sure but I think it would have given them a fighting chance
No al... not good sportsmanship.. Getting the goals on their record was more important even after seeing the inablility of their opponents. Not the American way in my judgement.. I am not proud of that accomplishment..
damn....
RTP, the girls did what they came there to do. Win. Then they did more. Much more than Im sure your whiney little a** did.
It seems no matter what Americans do, they get criticized. What these girls did was compassionate and showed great sportmanship, but there are a few commenters on here that choose to ignore the positive and focus on something they believe is a negative-the score. Well apparently none of them have played sports on a competitive level because if they had they would know that it's better to lose big than to have an opponent that doesn't play its best against you because it feels sorry for you. In any event, I'm proud of those girls for showing some heart and compassion for their opponents and treating them with respect! I wonder had the shoe been on the other foot, so to speak, if an American team would be treated similarly.
No coach worth his or her salt would ever tell their team to take it easy on an opponent. You NEVER do that, You don't turn on and off the competitive juices of your players. If you face a weaker opponent, and the score allows it, you play your subs so they can get game experience. What happened after the game was over was notable because it shows compassion, but if a player of mine let up during a game he or she would be on the bench and doing laps after the next practice till their tongue hung out.
To pgaraffa, why should the US have played poorly? There's no honor in letting someone win. These girls have worked hard to get where they're at, and they deserve to give it their all. I understand where you're comming from, but the fact the the Haiti girls were even there speakes for itself. It shows their strength and character- do you really think they would have wanted pity victory? Or the other team to "allow" them to score? And as for the coaches telling the team to back off and let them score? Why should they hurt their own team like that? I really do understand where you're comming from, but if you look at it from both sides, no one would gain anything by the US team showing pity to the Haiti team.
To the idiot who put down our girls for scoring 9 points....this is what they are supposed to do! They train hard and are taught to ALWAYS give their all. What a stupid thing to say. They are compassionate girls but that is no reason to throw or slow down a game. The stats and their records are part of their sports carreer! Idiot.
What were they supposed to do, let them win? As a former athlete, I think it would have been unsportsmanlike to not play up to their fullest capabilities. It would have been a slap in the face to the Haitians. These girls showed poise and class on and off the field.
rtp1122 - you are what is wrong with this country...our girls' soccor team is what is right. Didn't you read the article (perhaps you can't). Only a truly selfish, cold-hearted, arrogant ass like you could take a story like this and make it into something gross. You get your kicks by making stupid comments and then giggling to yourself. Sad little monkey. You probably make crank calls to 911 and trip old ladies in the grocery store. You a crass moron. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE U.S. WOMEN'S SOCCOR TEAM - YOU MAKE US PROUD OFF THE FIELD, WHERE IT TRULY MATTERS!!!
Looks like several people like to blast Americans for doing what they went there to do. And that is win the game. The other team would have felt much worse if they would have let up. They did the right thing by playing tough to the end. Americans give more then any other country when someone is in need. When will the rest of the world see that? And respect us for our kindness. Please stop writing and speaking about us Americans like we are not worthy. Unless you can show me where another country or any other group of people give more of there time and money then we do to help less fortunate, please just don't say anything. It helps only those out to harm us and our image to post anything negative about Americans. We Love the world and all people. Who else can say that and mean it? God Bless America.
To al the people angry about the score: Don't you think it would have been condescending not to play your best against them? They were there to play to get life back to normal as close as they could. The Haitian team did the best they could considering the circumstances and it is offensive not to do the same. It was a good show of sportsmanship when the US team didn't celebrate their win, but shared it with a humble and humane gesture.
Made me proud to be an American also, thank you girls good luck in the tournament but somehow I feel you got more out of this than anyone expected.
this is national soccer not your rec.. not little league baseball.. but national soccer.. where point differences could eliminate a team from play.. in three games our girls have scored 32 goals and given up 0 with total class.they beat the Cayman Islands 13-0 and Costa Rico 10-0
way to go girls.. all the way around way to go
it seems to me none of you play soccer. unfortunately in a tournament situation goal differential (goal scored/scored on) can mean going to the next round or NOT if we are close with another team. so you do not give up the chance to score a goal. the haitian girls know this. it's the way the game is played.....get over it. the US girls made me proud!
so nice
As some other people replied, it's wrong to let up on your game. "they could have let them score." No, those players for Haiti would have felt like they were being slapped in the face. Any athlete will confirm this. They did a great service as human beings supporting the people of Haiti with those donations, and to the athletes with the hugs and other support. It couldn't have been handled better.
Oh come one people, Do you really think the Haitian team wanted to have their opponents take it easy on them? What kind of pride would they feel if they did not think that everyone gave it their all? Come on get real, who likes to think that their win or close margin of a game was "given" to them?